Dragon Age: Group of Exiles
by Sarenieth
Summary: What if Duncan hadn't just recruited one of the many possible Grey Warden recruits from each race? What if Cousland, Tabris, Mahariel, Amell, Surana, Brosca, and Aeducan bloodlines had survived and joined the Wardens? What will the Wardens do to stop the Blight? Who will lead them? Will it be one of them, or the Shadow watching over them? Join the Group of Exiles to find out.
1. Prologue - Chapter 1

**Prologue: Betrayal**

_Chapter 1: The Shadow Warden and the Dalish Huntress_

Lyna Mahariel, a Dalish Hunter of the Sabrae clan watched as Tamlen, her friend from childhood stood with his bow ready. As if on cue three humans came rushing down the hill and straight into his line of sight, nothing standing between them and the hunter. The first of them fell down in fear, quickly rushing backwards before stopping. The second arrived and both he and his comrade who had fallen looked around, confused. As the third man rushed to the scene, the man sitting down pointed at Tamlen.

"It's a Dalish!" He said aloud, Tamlen briefly passing aim around the three of them before focusing on the man who spoke.

Closing one eye to focus on his targets, he gave a frown to the men, "And you three are somewhere you shouldn't be." He responded with irritation in his voice. Lyna kept watching the conversation between the four, slowly and quietly readying her own bow.

"Let us pass, elf. You have no right to stop us!" The second man demanded. Funny how even the lowest looking of humans thought they could command any and all of the elves. Judging from their rather poor clothes they were mere villagers, no doubt calling home that human settlement not too far from their current location in the Brecillian Forest.

"No? We will see about that, won't we?" Tamlen threatened, sounding confident. Too confident. Nevertheless, Lyna appeared from the bushes and had her bow at the ready, taking aim at the second human. Though her weapon was aimed at him, she watched the others with caution. Tamlen let his bow down for a mere second with a smile on his face, "You're just in time. I found these... **humans** lurking in the bushes. Bandits, no doubt."

One look at the dark haired elf made the humans seem jittery. "We aren't bandits, I swear! Please don't hurt us!" The second man pleaded as Tamlen raised his bow once more at them.

The two elves began slowly stepping towards the humans. "You shemlen are pathetic. It's hard to believe you ever drove us from our homeland." Tamlen taunted. Lyna silently took note of her friend's taunts. Whilst she didn't like humans or those of her own kind that decided to live in shem cities, she did not like boasting or taunting. She was much more direct and thought of those things as needless wastes of breath.

"W-we've never done nothing to you Dalish! We didn't even know this forest was yours!" The third man said, his voice hurt both Tamlen and Lyna's ears. It was high pitched and made him sound more like a teenage boy going through puberty than the man he appeared to be. His words disgusted the two elves, they were humans and just seconds ago they tried to 'assert their dominance' over Tamlen.

Tamlen let out a sigh and Lyna simply shook her head. "This forest isn't ours, fool. You've stumbled too close to our camp. You shems are like vermin—we can't trust you not to make mischief." Tamlen corrected them before insulting them yet again. He was not going to enjoy Lyna's famous lectures when this ordeal was over. Tamlen looked at Lyna before asking, "What do you say, lethallin? What should we do with them?"

Lyna thought for a moment before narrowing her eyes. "We kill them. No one will know, nor care about two dead shems." She responded, enjoying the sight of the three men looking at each other with fear.

"I like the sound of that. Anything to say in your defense, shems?" Asked Tamlen as both he and Lyna prepared to release their arrows.

"L-look... we didn't come here to be trouble. We just found a cave..." The first and most silent man said, surely they were desperate.

"Yes, a cave! With ruins like I've never seen! We thought there might be, uh..." The second man piped in. That confirmed her suspicions. The elves had been in this location for quite some time, not once had they discovered any ruins.

"Treasure. So you're more akin to thieves than actual bandits." Tamlen finished for the man, more disgust than before being located within his voice. Lyna chuckled before shaking her head, "I'd like to see these ruins for myself." Tamlen nodded, "So would I! I have never seen any ruins in these parts."

The second man stepped forward cautiously. "I... I have proof! Here... we found this just inside the entrance." He said as he slowly handed Tamlen a stone. The elf put away his bow an arrow, taking the relic whilst leaving Lyna to watch the men.

His eyes grew wide as he saw it. "This stone has carvings... is this elvish? **Written** elvish?" He asked with confusion in his voice. "There's more in the ruins! We didn't get very far in, though..." The man stammered. Tamlen pocketed the stone before readying his bow again.

"Why not? Surely you shems would want more treasure to go home with, for your beloved gold. A stone won't get you far in that regard." Hissed Lyna, tempted to just release her arrow now rather than later.

"There was a demon! It was huge... it's eyes black! Thank the Maker we were able to out-run it!" The man exclaimed, causing both Lyna and Tamlen to laugh.

He got that sarcastic, judging, look in his eyes again before he spoke, "A demon. Where is this cave?" The men looked at each other once again before the second responded, "Just off to the west, I think. There's a cave in the rock face, and a huge hole just inside."

"Well, do you trust them? Shall we let them go?" Tamlen questioned Lyna who already made up her mind minutes ago.

"No. Why would we do that? So they can bring more to drive us out? Kill them all." She answered bitterly. "Yes, one could expect no less from a shem. This will not take long..." Tamlen responded and before the humans could do anything, Lyna let her arrow fly through the air and plant itself in the third man's throat. Tamlen let his arrow go and it planted itself in the chest of the second man. The huntress drew another arrow quickly and released it straight into the back of the man running away, sending him falling down with a yelp of pain.

Putting their weapons away victoriously, Tamlen took a few steps forward before turning to Lyna. "Well, shall we see if there's any truth to their story? These carvings make me curious." The woman shrugged with a smirk, "Sounds good to me if it sounds good to you." He returned the smile as they both walked down the forest path.

Lyna gazed down at the water and vegetation at the bottom of the small crater the path led around. As she turned to look forward, she caught Tamlen looking at her and couldn't help but smirk and give him a wink. He stopped which forced her to stop and turn around to face him.

"Tamlen?" She asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at her friend. He looked at his feet, then to an insect scurrying away from the two-legged behemoths near it. She approached him slowly, cautiously placing her hand on his cheek. "Are you okay?" She questioned before he looked up and stared into her ice-blue eyes with his silver ones.

"Lyna, I..." He started to say before he sighed and shook his head, pulling away from her. "Nothing, let's go." Lyna frowned and followed him. They only came across two wolves, and they dispatched them with ease.

Silence, for five minutes that was all that was heard between the two elves. Before they entered the cave, Lyna stopped their advance. "Tamlen, what's on your mind? Just tell me. Please." He turned to her and sighed before his eyebrows raised. "It's just that... weren't you supposed to be assisting Master Varathorn today? How did you end up coming with me? If you sneaked away again, he'll kill us both!"

She smiled and shrugged, he was a bad liar and was even worse when trying to cover something up. "I wanted to be with you, of course." She said sweetly. He smiled gently at her, looking into her eyes again. "I... thought that might be the case. I'm glad." He responded with a small hint of nervousness in his voice. "Let's just see what's in the cave and get out of here. We can talk later."

With that, they turned and walked into the cave. Neither of them had noticed the man clad in plate armor atop the ridge overlooking the cave. It was exactly like the common Grey Warden plate armor, but instead was pure black. None who gazed upon him would expect him a mage, as he was wearing plate armor and had weaponry not magical in nature. Two swords, three daggers, and a shield. Occasionally he'd used a bow and arrow, but those occasions were rare and only when a situation called for it, so he never carried them. Duncan, a fellow Grey Warden and Warden-Commander of the Ferelden Grey Wardens walked up to him, eyeing the cave with interest. They were drawn here, sensing the Darkspawn. Despite their main goal to recruit, Darkspawn were a threat always demanding immediate attention.

"Two elves have entered that cave. No doubt Marethari's bunch." The man in black growled to Duncan who nodded slowly. "You stay out here and wait, my friend. I am going inside to observe them. We may have potential recruits if we are lucky." The Warden simply took a few steps forward, "as you wish," he said before jumping off of the ledge and down onto the path the two elves had been on. With a loud thud, he stood up straight and rolled his shoulders.

Duncan did the same, though rather than stand there he headed inside the cave.

"Tamlen! Don't touch that-!" Lyna shouted before a blast sent her flying backwards. A white light blinded her and she lost consciousness. She knew coming to this cave was a mistake, she knew that mirror was bad news just by the looks of it. Now had she and her friend perished because of her foolishness and his curiosity? She felt something tug at her shoulders and weakly opened her eyes to see a human man. His hair was black but slightly greying and pulled back into a pony tail. He had a thick beard and truly looked like a man who had seen many battles and struggles. "Are you okay? I am sorry." He said in a calm voice that didn't sit well with the elf. She could not keep her eyes open any longer and fell back to unconsciousness again.

* * *

><p>Hearing the screams from inside the cave, the Black Warden drew his sword and almost instantaneously it was covered in flames. In his open hand was an orb of electricity as he watched his surroundings closely. It did not take him long to spot Duncan coming out of the cave with an elf being carried over his shoulder. He turned his head slightly, curious, but everything was interrupted before he could speak as they sensed Darkspawn coming out from the cave as well as the forest around them.<p>

"Get her to her people. I will keep them off of you for as long as I can before vanishing into the shadows." The Black Warden said before blasting a Hurlock with the built up electricity in his hand. The creature let out a shriek of pain before falling over, dead.

Duncan nodded before he rushed off. The Darkspawn couldn't see him running because the Black Warden let out a loud roar that gained their attention. They all closed in on the lone Warden, wanting nothing more than to tear him apart.

The Warden narrowed his eyes as he looked around at the circle of Darkspawn hissing in laughter at him. He was surrounded, but he felt no fear. "Come, dance with death for awhile. After all, I get lonely." He taunted before the group of Darkspawn closed in on him.

And so they clashed together, metal against metal. Before they could surround him completely, a circle of fire erupted around him, igniting two of them on fire. They ran away screeching in pain. The fire barrier faded and he quickly stabbed one of the creatures straight through the face with his sword, ripping it out just in time to block an attack by yet another Hurlock. He expertly retaliated and slashed the throat of the creature, causing it to fall to the ground choking on its own blood. Now that the Hurlocks seemed to be dealt with, their smaller kin were left. Genlocks, though small were fierce and could deal some serious damage, especially in numbers.

To keep the distance between him and the Genlocks, he used a wave of fire to push them back. He counted four remaining Genlocks yet knew there would be more on their way. Two of them closed in on him and he quickly stabbed one in the shoulder, using his other hand to grasp the bald head of the other Genlock. Both creatures let out shouts of pain, one getting his head and brain engulfed in flames whilst the other ripped the sword from the Warden's hands and retreated in order to remove it from his shoulder.

Soaked in sweat on the inside, soaked with black blood on the outside, the Warden knew he had to act fast. Three Genlocks now angrily closed in on him and he had mere seconds to react. He quickly drew two daggers, sliding them so the blades were in his hands. With quick and expert aim he tossed them into the heads of two Genlocks, killing the one he had merely stabbed and another that was closest to him. The remaining Darkspawn let out a loud roar before rushing towards the Warden, who quickly kicked the creature in the gut. It growled as it fell backwards and got its weapon torn from its hands.

The Warden tossed the corrupted axe to the ground and readied himself to deal with the Genlock hand-to-hand. As the creature charged him, he grabbed it by the arms and slammed it into the ground. Unsheathing his final dagger, he knelt on the back of the Genlock and caused it to squirm. For a creature of corruption, it made him smile when he saw such a thing squirm underneath him. Taking the dagger, he quickly plunged it into the back of its neck, twisting until the creature stopped moving.

He wiped the blade on the back of the Darkspawn before standing up and sheathing it. He did the same for the other weapons he had unsheathed. Looking around at the bodies, he let loose a loud sigh.

"Times are going dark. I can feel it." He muttered under his breath, looking up at the treetops. Hearing hissing from within the cave, he turned around and rushed down the path. With luck he could get there before the Dalish awoke. _If_ she awoke.

* * *

><p>Lyna twisted and turned in her slumber. Her sleep had brought her a strange dream that she did not know what to think of. It was almost as if it was a vision.<p>

"_Girl, I have been training you ever since we left your camp. Have you learned nothing?" A strange man clad in black plate taunted at her. _

_She growled back, slamming both of her Dar'Misu against his Dwarvish Longsword. She could tell he was smiling under that helmet of his. Without warning, the man delivered a harsh punch to her stomach and then swiped her feet out from under, ending his maneuver by putting the tip of his sword to her throat. _

"_You're dead." He stated with a grim tone, pointing at the river. "Get up and clean yourself for supper. Duncan should be arriving shortly with firewood. You've a long day tomorrow, we will be arriving at Ostagar and there will be no time for rest once there." He ordered. To her surprise she followed his commands without complaint and walked over to the running water._

_She dipped her slender, pale fingers into the cool water and shivered before cupping her hands and splashing her face with the cool liquid. Something about the man in Black worried her. He seemed to be disconnected with the world around him, to the point she doubted anything could get to him. He was dangerous, that much she knew._

_Once she finished cleaning the sweat and dirt off of herself, she got up and walked over to him again. "So, how many of you are there?" She asked, hoping to start a conversation with him. "One." He responded and she instantly knew the error of her question. _

_She gave an irritated sigh and shook her head, "How many Wardens, I mean." He crossed his arms and for a brief moment she could see his blood-red glowing eyes. "Not enough." He responded and she threw her arms up. "I give up!" She declared before her expression fell silent with her words. _

_The man appeared alarmed and before she could turn around to see what at, he grabbed her and turned around so she was standing where he once was. With his arms around her protecting her, she could feel his body jerk four times. Each time accompanied by a grunt of pain. It was then she saw six Darkspawn with corrupted bows and arrows._

* * *

><p>Lyna's eyes fluttered open and she was greeted by the black armored man looking directly at her. Panic set in as she saw his red eyes, causing her to jump up from the bedroll she was laying on.<p>

"Hamin, child. There is no need for alarm." He growled as the Keeper walked up beside him.

"This is Shadow, da'len. He is a Grey Warden and has come here with Duncan, they are both good friends of mine. He requested to stay by your side until you recovered." Marethari spoke calmly, her voice managing to soothe the panicking Lyna.

Her brief period of calm turned into confusion and rising anger. "Keeper! He sounds like a shem!" She said a bit louder than she originally intended, causing several others turn their gazes towards them.

Before Marethari could speak, the Warden took her place quickly. "Emma. I kn-" He began to explain before Lyna rushed up and tried to punch him.

His reflexes kicked in before she could land her attack and he quickly grabbed her fist. Twisting her hand, pulling it behind her and grabbing the other before she could use it. She found her back against his front, one of her arms stretched tightly behind her back and the other stretched diagonally in front of her, his arm tight against her neck. He pulled both arms and what would send her twirling away like a top, merely tripped her as he placed his foot in front of her path. She landed with a grunt before looking up at him with anger in her eyes.

"You really are weak, you didn't even hurt me!" Lyna taunted him, but he did nothing but shake his head. "If I wanted to hurt you, girl, I would have. Now get up, Keeper Marethari wishes to speak with you and I really must be off now that I know you are well."

Lyna disregarded his order, jumping up to her feet and letting loose a long lasting growl as she rushed towards him. He simply outstretched his arms, giving her an open chest for a target. She took it, rage clouding her mind as she slammed her fist against his armored chest. She let out a shrill shriek of pain, causing her 'foe' to laugh. Marethari sighed and shook her head, approaching the both of them.

"Are you two done? Please behave yourselves in my camp." The Keeper spoke, sounding highly annoyed.

Shadow gave a respectful and apologizing bow. "My apologies, Keeper Marethari. Do you wish anything of me or may I go?" He asked with an apologetic tone still in his voice.

She nodded. "Please stay. Da'len, I want you to seek out Merrill, I am sending you to look for Tamlen. I also find myself curious about this mirror I have heard about, and wish for Merrill to examine it for me. As for you, Warden, if it is true that Darkspawn are roaming around the area I would feel much better knowing you are with the two of them." She told the two and both gave a respectful bow.

"Ma nuvenin, Keeper." Both Shadow and Lyna said, resulting in two different reactions from them. Lyna growled at the Warden whilst he shook his head at her anger.

"Ma serannas. Return to us well, and hopefully with Tamlen." Marethari said before walking away.

As the Keeper's back was turned on them, Lyna gave Shadow a death glare. "I will wait for you near the way out. Meet me there when you are ready to go." He said to her before turning and walking away.

* * *

><p>The walk was long and silent. Merrill and Lyna talked occasionally with each other but Shadow kept true to what his name implies. He was walking a few feet behind the two, not wanting to interrupt them. Not wanting to be noticed. They were on the path to the cave now and everything seemed quiet.<p>

He sensed them before they could make their first move. He drew both his blades quickly just as six Genlocks jumped from the cliff to their right. Four Genlock archers appeared further down the path as well as their guard of two Genlock grunts.

Merrill let out a surprised yelp at the sudden appearance of the horrid monsters, not realizing one would have impaled her on his blade had Shadow not interrupted him with cutting his arms off.

Shadow parried one of the Genlock's attacks, "You two focus on the archers and their guards. Do **not** let their blood so much as touch you." He ordered the two women before riposting the parried Genlock. Whilst his blade was stuck in the chest of the creature, another one tried to attack him, but he blocked it with his other blade.

Merrill took cover behind a thin tree so the archers couldn't hit her whilst she aided Shadow, making sure the other Darkspawn couldn't get to him whilst he was busy. She shot one with an electric bolt that caused the creature to shriek and convulse, ultimately ending in it falling to its death.

Lyna quickly performed a wall-run, readying three throwing knives before launching herself off of the natural stone wall and towards the Darkspawn archers. She threw the three daggers, killing their targets quickly. Now there were only three archers and they were in unfavorable conditions. They dropped their bows and unsheathed their swords, engaging in close combat with Lyna.

Having retrieved his blades he continued fighting the remaining three Genlocks, imbuing his swords with electricity, quickly tapping them together to cause the swords to hiss at the contact confirming their voltage. As the Darkspawn closed in on him he slammed his swords into the ground, sending electric bolts crackling up at the creatures as well as forming a rune-like circle around him. The Darkspawn screamed loudly, several seconds later they fell over, smoking and convulsing due to their electrified bodies.

Merrill was surprised by what she had just witnessed, but both her and Shadow turned to see Lyna finishing off her final opponent. The elf huntress slammed the Genlock against the stone wall before quickly penetrating the back of its neck with her Dar'misu. The creature gurgled before she ripped out her blade sideways, forcing her foe's head to fall to that side before its corpse fell to the ground.

Hands, chest, and bottom of her feet were covered in black blood. There were now two large pools of tainted blood on the path. The one she made and the one Shadow and Merrill made together. The two of them rejoined Lyna and Shadow nodded at her.

"Impressive." He said before he took the lead, heading towards the cave.

* * *

><p>The rest of their mission was uneventful. They fought more Darkspawn with relative ease, found Duncan, destroyed the mirror, and returned to the Dalish camp, sad to learn Tamlen was gone for good. Now, Lyna, Marethari, and the Wardens discussed the young elf's cure.<p>

"Our order is in need of help. You are in need of a cure. When we leave, I hope you will join us. You would make an excellent Grey Warden." Duncan said, crossing his arms. He meant his words, and Lyna know that, but something was off. It seemed rather one-sided.

"Me? A Grey Warden? No. No way. I am not leaving my clan!" Lyna protested, earning a growl from Shadow. She ignored it, as did the others.

"This is not madness, da'len. It means curing you." Marethari spoke softly and Lyna couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed.

"The Darkspawn blood courses through your veins, and you have survived due to your Keeper's healing and your own will. But eventually, the taint will sicken and kill you, or worse. The Grey Wardens can prevent that, but it means joining us." Duncan informed her with a hint of nothing but seriousness in his voice.

Lyna sighed, "Will I be able to rejoin my clan?" She asked curiously.

"That is doubtful, girl. Once we leave here, we go to fight the Darkspawn and it is highly unlikely you will be able to return." Shadow spoke up, the rough grim and quiet tone of his voice only deepening.

She shook her head, "No. I would rather take my chances, I will not go." She stated with anger and defiance in her voice.

A few more minutes of trying to persuade her occurred, each time however, she rejected it.

"This is all I've ever known! This is my home!" She desperately cried out to the Keeper and Duncan. "I do not want to leave it, I will not. If there is no guarantee I will return, I'd rather die with my people than away from them!" That phrase reminded Shadow of a younger version of himself. He frowned behind the safety of his helmet.

"A home the Darkspawn will tear apart. You can help us prevent that from ever happening." Duncan said with growing annoyance in his voice.

The Keeper broke out in a tone that indicated she was on the verge of tears. "You do not know how hard it is to send one of our daughters out on a journey such as this. But if that is what the Creators intend for you, da'len, meet your destiny with your head held high. No matter where you go, you are Dalish. Remember that."

"I refuse to listen to this! I will not go!" She shouted as she turned around to walk away.

Before she could take a step Shadow put his arm in front of her, pressing it against her chest so she may not move in any direction but backwards. She faintly blushed with embarrassment as she realized where his arm was before shaking her head and letting her anger take over again. This was no time for her to worry about such matters, especially since he was a shem.

"Then you leave me no choice. I hereby invoke the Rite of Conscription." Duncan stated with an apologetic tone in his voice. Marethari looked at him and nodded. "I witness and acknowledge your invocation, Duncan of the Grey Wardens."

"I am sorry this was not your choice, but the Darkspawn threat is simply too great." He said with his dark tone returning. "I will have Shadow drag you kicking and screaming to Ostagar, if I must. Would you rather die here, and sicken your own people?" He asked.

"I know you'll do your clan proud, da'len. Take this ring. It is your heritage and will protect you against the Darkspawn to come." Marethari said as she handed Lyna a ring. The young elf took the ring and put it on quickly. "A valuable gift," Duncan stated, "Very well. Are you ready to g-" She raised her hand briefly to silence him before she began pulling Shadow by the arm towards the exit of the camp.

She had to go, it would be easier to do so in silence. The Warden let her drag him a few feet before ripping himself from her grasp. "That was rude, girl." He growled at her and she simply shook her head, an angered expression dominating her rather young and beautiful face.

"You of all people know silence. It is easier to leave with silence than to see their faces and have your heart broken more than it already is." She told him, knowing that he was a man of silence because of the sound of his voice and just his personality that she had picked up on so far.

He nodded before quietly speaking, "Come then. Duncan has a few things to clear up here. We can meet him on the West Road where he'll be departing for his final potential recruit in Highever. You and I will head to Ostagar." With those words spoken they left the camp together, leaving Duncan to talk with Marethari.

* * *

><p>They had been walking for half an hour in silence. Occasionally she'd speak for what Shadow thought was just to remove the lonely feeling silence caused. "So is that shem always like that?" She asked him with anger in her voice as she thought of Duncan.<p>

He simply nodded in response. Her lips slowly curved into a small frown. Before she took another step forward, he grabbed her roughly and pulled her back placing his shield in front of her face. With three thuds she saw three arrowheads sticking through it.

"You need to watch where you are going, girl." He said in his growl before he whipped the shield at one of the bandits attacking them.

It spun in the air clockwise until it hit the man straight in the face, with a nasty crack it broke not only the bandit's face, but the shield as well. The Warden rushed towards the group, wielding his two swords once more. They stood two against at least twenty.

What bandits were doing in such a large number and in the forest, they did not know. Often bandits were nothing but a small group consisting of five to ten men with armor that wouldn't stop a pin going through. These men were equipped with armor forged within one of the cities, as it was efficient enough to be used in battle. Such a thing was uncommon among normal bandits as those who tried to attack soldiers often found their fates swift and brutal.

The men surrounded them with their weapons ready, Lyna and Shadow both saw several archers positioned within the trees. One of the bandits walked forward, pointing his sword directly at Shadow.

"What you did to my friend? That was **really** rude. He probably won't have a face anymore. Why did you do that?" The man with a strange accent not familiar to either of them spoke. He had a tone of insanity in his voice.

"Let us go and you will not be harmed. You may even live to see another day. I can not say the same about your friend. He's gone." Shadow taunted as he dropped his swords to the ground.

The man chuckled, "What's this? Tough guy is surrendering? You know you just threatened us, right? Whatever, we decline your offer any-" Before he could finish his sentence he found an ice spike sticking through his chest.

The archers fired in a petty attempt to avenge what Shadow thought was their leader, but their arrows simply got shredded when they hit the blue magic shield that surrounding both of their targets. Two mages rushed up to the front and cut their hands. Blood Magic.

"Girl, focus on the archers. I'll take care of our mage friends and keep the others off of you for as long as I possibly can." Shadow ordered before rushing towards the blood mages.

Quickly drawing her bow, Lyna gave him covering fire. Whoever had trained these archers were good as the archers were hopping from branch to branch trying to avoid getting shot down by Lyna. As Shadow reached the two blood mages, he quickly delivered punches to their faces, his fists surrounded by fire. They screamed loudly as their faces got scorched and torn by what would have felt like metal fresh from the forge's fires.

As the mages fell to their knees grabbing at their faces only making the wounds worse, Shadow soon felt himself surrounded by an inferno. Abominations made their way through the ranks of the bandits. A magic barrier forming around him, he held out his arm in front of his face and the fiery wind went around him. He snarled, feeling the intense heat against his face as he slowly made his way closer to the abominations. The two blood mages who failed at killing him in time were now charred corpses on the forest floor.

Lyna readied two arrows and let them loose, expertly taking down two of the archers as they were in the air. The men shouted as the arrows penetrated their legs, causing them to lose focus and smash their chests into the branches before falling down to the forest floor with loud thuds.

Shadow frowned, the abominations still attempting to scorch him. He knew there was little point in trying to fend off these bandits, or what ever they really were. Sure, fighting until they died would make it safer for the people around this area to move around, however, he and Lyna would surely perish if they kept on fighting. Was he willing to risk that?

He narrowed his eyes before letting his magic shield fall as he retaliated against the flames with a blizzard of ice blasting through to the abominations. He screamed in agony as the flames cooked him within his armor. The flames were so intense the metal on his arms had begun to melt, fusing with his clothing and some flesh underneath. The bandits charged when they saw he was still standing, hoping to kill him whilst he was distracted by pain.

Lyna's gaze quickly darted to Shadow as she heard him scream before quickly drawing an arrow and firing it into the head of one of the abominations. The creature let loose a guttural scream before erupting into a blast of fire. Like a chain reaction set off by the first one, the other abominations followed. This effectively took out a majority of the bandits, though seven of them closed in on Shadow. Four arrows zoomed passed her, causing her to shift her gaze from Shadow to the trees once more.

As the seven bandits got close, Shadow quickly unsheathed two daggers disregarding the intense pain he felt in his entire body. As the first man neared, he got his throat cut and the second man immediately found a dagger in his forehead. The third attempted to strike, but was quickly parried by Shadow's other arm before finding the dagger stuck in his chest several times. Ripping his right dagger from the forehead of the second man, he quickly charged it with electricity before throwing it at the fourth man. As it impacted into his heart several bolts traveled to two of his remaining allies' weapons as well as his own, causing them all to fall to the ground, convulsing as the electricity burned their flesh and continued to fry their insides. The seventh man slowly came to a stop as he reached Shadow, dropping his weapons and falling to his knees.

Lyna spotted the final archer trying to retreat, but shot him in the back so he fell down the long drop to the forest floor. Readying another arrow, she approached the man Shadow was standing over. The area seemed clear, all of the archers had been killed.

Shadow knelt down so he could look the man in the eyes, holding his dagger out close to the bandit so he could see the blood of his comrades drip from it. "Who are you lot? Where do you hail from? Who is your leader? Why were you with Maleficarum?" Shadow asked in a snarl, his tone so venomous it made the man whimper.

The man cried out desperately, "W-We are called t-the Awakeners... we are l-led by a mysterious man... he doesn't show his face or give his name! O-only our officers are allowed to be in his presence! We come from all around Thedas! A-Apostates are welcomed in our order!"

Shadow nodded, "Good. What do you... _Awakeners_ do exactly?" He asked curiously.

"I... I can't tell you! They'll kill me! He is watching... he is always watching..." The man responded with fear in his voice.

Shadow got up to his feet and sighed, shaking his head. "Here I thought I'd be able to let you go. Rest well, scum." He snarled before planting his dagger in the top of the man's head, twisting it before ripping it out and sheathing it.

Lyna's eyes widened as she saw the slaughter of someone who surrendered, but said nothing. Shadow walked all around, gathering his other dagger and sheathing it. His shield and swords were no use, the flames had rendered them useless. Not to mention his shield shattered upon impact with the face of the bandit.

"Come. We've got to get to Lothering. We will stop there and stay to heal my wounds before continuing to Ostagar. We've a few days before the battle begins, anyway." He groaned as he continued down the path.

Lyna rushed to catch up with the limping man groaning in impatience, "I don't want to wait. I want to get this 'Joining' over and done with as soon as possible." The man shook his head, remaining silent.

* * *

><p>They walked quietly for an hour, they were on main road by then. To the left was the Brecillian forest and to the right was the Bannorn, mostly known for being the backbone of Ferelden. It was mostly grassland save for a few trees here and there.<p>

Much to Lyna's surprise, Shadow answered her demands from an hour ago. "Good. Then you can wait for the eve of battle. That is when the Joining Ritual will take place. I don't know if you have ever been in, or near the Bannorn, but welcome. This land is a land full of people more stubborn and prone to fighting with each other than the Dwarves. I exaggerate naught, the greed of these men got the point a war was fought just for an apple tree."

His elf companion sighed before looking at him with amusement. It was truly remarkable how quickly he seemed to dull the pain of his injuries. What would have crippled normal men seemed to merely wound him whilst at the same time seeming to make him stronger in an unknown way. She was a handful, but compared to the others who were ordered to stay at Lothering until Duncan claimed them, well... she was mild to say the least. This was going to be a long journey. Shadow could feel it.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Dear JustAnotherWriterLikeYou<strong>**, this was submitted in less than 1 hours, smarty pants. :P In other news, I hope you, dear audience, enjoyed the first chapter of Dragon Age: Group of Exiles! **


	2. Update 1: Update Timeframes

**Hello everyone,**

**This is a little update to inform you all on why it'll be taking so long between the uploading of chapters. I am currently busy with several projects, not all are writing based, but some are. Also, I like to take my time and check everything before submitting chapters to the site. This includes things like scenes from the game, lore, and just making sure everything fits together and works well.**

**With that being said, the next chapter should be uploaded sometime this weekend. I'm guessing either Saturday or Sunday. One or the other. Remember, I do not have a set time for when chapters will be uploaded so it could take a few weeks depending on how big the chapter is. The next few chapters, so you know, will be in the past and describing how all of the heroes got to Lothering.**

**The only _Origin_ stories that take place in the present are Lyna's and the Cousland's. So once all the others are done, the story is set in the here and now. Kind of. Maybe. I dunno how to word that. Hah, I think you get the idea.**

**Anyway, I'm going back to writing up the last of chapter 2 of the prologue. See you all soon!**

**-Saren **


	3. Prologue - Chapter 2

**Prologue: Betrayal**

_Chapter 2: The Noble Kinslayer and the Blasphemer_

Duran Aeducan, the middle son of King Endrin Aeducan had been exiled to the treacherous Deep Roads to wander for the rest of his days. This was his punishment for killing his eldest sibling, Trian Aeducan, though it was a false accusation made by his youngest brother, Bhelen. He did this in order to secure his power base. The truth was, Duran loved his brother Trian, more so than he did Bhelen. His bastard of a younger brother set him up **and** killed their own brother in the process, thus securing his 'rights' to the throne.

If it was one thing he had to praise Bhelen on, it was being able to manipulate everyone so that they may give him his advantage over others. Both Trian and Duran stood as threats to his power base, thus he had them eliminated. Because the Assembly did not believe Duran's story, they had exiled him and this made people he once called friends hate him. Though how could he blame them? His brother was one manipulative son of a nug.

The exiled Dwarf was equipped with tattered prison clothing. His hair was red and long, as was his beard. Both neatly groomed so that they did not look messy, but rather what you would expect from a noble son of the king. He had wandered the Deep Roads for hours, not really encountering anything of note. In his time wandering, however, he had found makeshift weapons and armor, scavenged from fallen men, women, and creatures alike. He heard light footsteps approach from behind him.

He quickly spun around and pointed his sword at the source of the footsteps, and his eyes went wide when he saw who it was. Natia Brosca, the casteless 'blasphemer' who snuck her way into the Proving and won. She was exiled out to the Deep Roads a few weeks before Duran.

"Brosca?" He muttered in a surprised tone and the dark haired woman nodded.

"Aye, it's me. Didn't expect to be seein' a son of the king this far out in the Deep Roads. 'Specially dressed in that." She said in a thick Dwarvish accent. Her words made Duran chuckle lightly, before it faded and turned into a frown.

"That is because I was exiled as well. My youngest brother set me up and killed our eldest brother, framing me. Two nugs with one club." He informed his fellow exile who shrugged.

She looked him in the eyes as she spoke softly, "Well, you can always come with me, Lord Aeducan. We can find our way out of here alive. My friend, Leske, told me about a group of Grey Wardens somewhere within the Deep Roads. I was on my way to find them now, actually, if you want to come with…"

"That'd be grand. Thank you, Natia. Lead the way." He said, letting her take the lead.

* * *

><p>As the woman led him through the Deep Roads, he couldn't help but chuckle at how ridiculous the situation was. He, a noble, was betrayed by his youngest brother and forced into exile. He came across <strong>the<strong> exile and they became traveling buddies. What were the odds of something like that happening? Now their only hope of survival was a group of Grey Wardens who may not even still be within the Deep Roads. His luck, they probably all left because their duty, what ever that may have been, was done long before he even got exiled.

Natia stopped as they both heard hissing coming from up ahead. They took cover behind one of the large stone pillars that decorated the Deep Roads, keeping the many caves from collapsing in on themselves. Of course, that did not mean occasional collapses were uncommon.

"Hear that?" Natia asked Duran in a hushed voice. The Dwarf noble nodded.

"Darkspawn. Try peeking around the corner, see if you can count how many are there." She commanded him. Funny how an ex-thug was leading an ex-noble.

He peeked his head around the corner slowly before withdrawing it just as eleven arrows flew passed his face. He swore under his breath, in the short time he had to count he'd give the Darkspawn at least twenty strong. Natia looked at him with curiosity.

He didn't need her to say what she wanted, "I count somewhere between twenty to forty Darkspawn. They are not happy with us, either." He informed her and she chuckled.

"Only twenty to forty? Bah, I took down fifteen of Orzammar's finest. Let's get to work, lemme see what you're made of, Lord Aeducan." She responded with a challenging tone in her voice.

Before she could even make a move, a Genlock Assassin appeared from the corner of the pillar, about to stab her had Duran not intervened by slamming his shield in the creature's face. It hissed in pain as it fell on its back. Taking this opportunity, Duran quickly stabbed its throat before moving from the cover of the pillar with his shield up.

* * *

><p><em>Endrin looked at his second son, patting him on the shoulder gently. "My boy, in Orzammar there are two kinds of people. People that fight for their lives, and people that have given up hope. I won't lie to you, my son, at times giving up seems like the easiest and best thing to do. But you are an Aeducan-our blood does not allow us to simply 'give up'."<em>

_Young Duran knew this speech all too well. He sighed as they walked the stone floors of the royal house. He knew the amount of faith his father placed in him was grand, and to break that faith would be like spitting in his face._

_"I know father, we've had this talk countless times before…" Duran said, the annoyance in his voice giving his thoughts away. _

_Endrin sighed. All of his children had the burning desire to continue going on for what they believe in, despite incredible odds. However, his second son suffered from disregarding vital knowledge that could prove useful to him later. His son was a soldier and a leader, something that can get you far in the world of Dwarves, but he had to be prepared to be king. A king does not only fight and lead men into battle. He has to lead an entire civilization, watch over economy, politics, and general issues that his son seemed to think petty. _

_"You are right, my son. We should focus on getting you a mind for politics. After all, you may be king someday, and knowledge is vital for a king." Endrin said with a smile, knowing what his son's reaction would be. _

_Sure enough, Duran let out a low growl. This caused Endrin to laugh loudly. When he stopped, his face returned to a serious state that chilled Duran. _

_He looked into his son's eyes before he spoke, "Duran. As with everyone, there will come a time in your life that you find yourself alone. You may not be alone physically, but know this; friends and allies are always around you, though they may come in a form most unlike what you expect."_

* * *

><p>Duran found himself pinned against the stone wall of the Deep Roads by a Hurlock Alpha's shield. Before the beast could run his sword through the pinned Dwarf's face, Natia had jumped on its back, stabbing it violently in the neck with one of her daggers. After the Hurlock fell to the ground dead, she ripped the shield pinning Duran away, freeing her unlikely comrade.<p>

They both were drenched in the black blood of the Darkspawn, by then they had carved through most of their group. Only four were left and they decided that rather than flee, they'd charge their slaughterers. Two Genlocks rushed for Duran whilst the Hurlock and Shriek went for Natia.

Before the Darkspawn reached them, the Dwarves had to cover their eyes so the black blood didn't get in them as several arrows pierced the creatures' bodies. After hearing the four thuds they uncovered their eyes and saw four Grey Wardens with bows raised directly at them.

"Two Dwarves this deep in the Deep Roads alone? What are you, Legion of Dead?" A female Human asked.

Duran shook his head as he explained to them their situation, "No, we're exiles from Orzammar. We heard Grey Wardens were not too far so we sought you out. At least, I'm assuming you are Wardens."

"He is the king's second son. If he's an exile he must have done something horrible." The Elf explained to his comrades in a calm, wise tone.

Natia seemed angered slightly at the hint that Duran did something wrong. Out of all the King's sons, Duran was her favorite. Her personality and his just matched together, both got things done in a soldier-like attitude rather than beating around the bush like politicians.

Duran shook his head, "I do not need to explain why I was exiled. We heard Wardens are in need of new recruits for a Blight. If you do not wish our help, which look around you; it'd be useful, at least help us escape to the surface."

None of the Wardens second guessed recruiting the two Dwarves. They were ordered to find potential recruits and these two Dwarves killed more than forty Darkspawn. With that they set back towards Orzammar, it was the quickest route to the surface.

The Dwarves did not like accepting the two back in their city, but they allowed them passage as it would only be for a few minutes so they could get to the surface and get lost for good. If their rumors were true, there was no stone on the surface to protect you from flying off into a great abyss.

Once on the surface they made their way to a main road the Wardens called the 'Imperial Highway', to a place named Lothering. There they would wait until Duncan and all of the other Warden recruits arrived. Once everyone was regrouped, they'd head south to Ostagar for their Joining and the great battle to end this Blight before it began.

* * *

><p>They were the first ones to arrive at the inn. The village of Lothering was rather small and mostly farmland. By then the two Dwarves had gotten used to the fact they wouldn't fall off the ground and into the sky. They were hungry and thirsty after a long day of travel.<p>

The inn itself was small and rather shameful compared to what both the Dwarves were used to. The female Warden approached the Innkeeper and slammed a large sack of coins on the table.

"Two rooms for four days. The rest will cover food and drink for those days as well." She growled and the man simply nodded as he put the coin purse away. Who was he to argue with such an offer? He knew there was plenty of coin in that sack.

"You lot get the two rooms upstairs, then. If you need food just ask me or Ursula." He informed the group as they all nodded and headed to their rooms.

"The recruits are split up. Duran is with Tooth and I, Natia is with Henry and Dillon. Those are the sleeping arrangements, understood?" The woman asked and everyone nodded.

"Good. If the rest aren't here in four days we're headed south without them."

With that, the group split apart. Some went into the rooms to set their stuff down whilst Duran and Natia simply sat there, looking down at the people below. Natia and Duran both sighed at the same time.

Their thoughts were on their partners they had before their exilement. Leske for Natia, and Gorim for Duran. They were in the same situation as each other, ripped away from the friends they have had practically since birth. Gorim did have a plan, he said he was going to the surface and heading for the city of Denerim. Leske, however, he would probably rot away in the dungeon. He was a criminal and casteless. As such, he would be treated like dirt and his options would be very limited.

"Life is only going to get harder from here on out, Natia. I hope you are prepared to fight with everything you got." Duran said grimly to his companion.

The woman nodded before turning around and heading into her assigned room. Night time was fast approaching and everyone was tired from their journey. Natia and Duran more so than the Wardens, as they fought off a small warband of Darkspawn before walking miles on end to get here. Duran turned around to head to his room when a memory hit him.

"_Remember, my son. Aeducans never give up. Our blood refuses to let us. No matter how bad a situation may be, you will always prevail, for you are an Aeducan! My son! Remember that. Always."_

It was rare to see a Dwarf cry, but this memory made the strongest soldier Natia knew have tears fall down his face. His father probably hated him now, all because of that bastard Bhelen!

"I will have revenge, dear brother. One day." Duran growled, wiping his tears away as his sadness turned to rage. Hopefully he could calm down enough for sleep.

**Author's Corner: **

**Hello pretties. I see you have made it to the end of chapter 2, that's great. First thing you'll notice is this chapter is VERY short compared to the first one, and that's because I didn't go through the entirety of the two Origin stories like with Lyna and Shadow. I'm debating if I should go through the entire Origin stories with the others or not. I probably will with the Cousland and Mages (hey the two mages will be together, yay for even shorter shortness) storylines since they're rather short. City Elf, maybe, I'm not sure.**

**We'll see where the journey takes us. Next chapter will probably be the mages, considering Duncan is on his way to get the City Elf and Cousland. As I explained in the update, Cousland will be 'real time' like Lyna so, yeah, I just didn't think of the City Elf during that update. Hope you guys enjoyed! I'm off to go play the mage origin story!**


	4. Prologue - Chapter 3

**Prologue: Betrayal**

_Chapter 3: The birth of the Shadow Warden_

"So, are you going to tell me your story whilst we rest, shem?" Lyna asked the Warden who was currently watching the affect the wind had on the green scenery.

"There is nothing to say." He replied in his usual growl. This caused his companion to chuckle.

She shook her head at him, "Everyone has some form of story. If you do not wish to tell me the story of your entire life, why not just tell me about how you became a Grey Warden?"

He turned his gaze from the scenery and stared at the Elf behind the cover of his helmet. The red orbs that were his eyes visible in the darkness behind the helmet.

"Most of us do not come from great backgrounds, but if it will sate your seemingly unending appetite for my past, so be it." He growled at her.

* * *

><p><em>It began four years ago, in the Deeproads. My friend since birth and I were wandering down there because we had taken a bounty for some lost treasure. We were not going to pass up the opportunity for an easy three thousand gold. We hated the Deeproads, it was everything we didn't like. Dark, closed in, Darkspawn-filled, if you could walk five feet without running into some form of danger you could consider yourself blessed by the Maker himself.<em>

_We were nothing but peasants in the eyes of rich folk and warriors alike. We wore simple clothes, fought with chipped and cheap swords. The sons of farmers. It was no surprise to us when we met the Dwarf we worked for that he laughed at us and said we had four days until he decided we were dead. The bastard didn't even have our money ready, and I figured as much. The entire deal seemed off but my friend demanded we take it._

_We had been wandering the Deeproads for well over four days, we never found the damned Thaig he was talking about. It was beginning to look more and more like a set up, but who would go to such lengths to set up two peasants? We came to a crossroads, and something felt off. The air was as cold as ice, and something about it seemed to be choking us. Leeching our lives away slowly each moment we took a breath._

"_Well this place seems sinister." Henry stated. Like me at the time, he didn't have any real training aside from the hard work of farming. Our bodies were strong, but they were nothing compared to a true warrior's. He had long black hair and a patchy beard. I always told him that look didn't suit him, he was more of a short hair, no beard kind of guy. _

_I sighed as I walked in the middle of the crossroads, evidence of a recent battle was everywhere, "Yeah, really? I had no idea. It's not like there are corpses of Darkspawn, Dwarves, and Humans alike. Keep an eye out, either the Darkspawn are killing each other, or we've something bigger than Darkspawn on our hands. The wounds are too violent even for Darkspawn - prolonged, and there are humans down here. Something is off." _

"_Oh sod off, Logan." My friend said with a laugh as he walked up to my side. _

_Before we could move on, a bright purple flame bursted to life right in front of us. A tall, mostly nude woman with hair of bright purple flames appeared from the fire and walked towards me. I've heard of demons, and was certain that this was one of them. Something about her, however, sucked me in - ensnared me. _

"_Oh my dear Logan…" She said seductively, her form changing into that of tall, beautiful blonde woman. "Don't you remember me from when we were young?" She asked._

"_N-No, I don't. I am sorry, my lady." I replied as I unknowingly stepped closer to her. _

_My friend tried to stop me, but I didn't notice him. No, I was too focused on this enchanting woman in front of my very eyes. I reached out to touch her when I heard my friend's voice break through what ever spell this woman put me under. _

"_Logan! She's a bloody demon! Don't do something you'll regret!" He warned. _

_I protested, "She's no demon, Henry, look at her! She's beautiful…" Saying that earned me a long, passionate kiss from the lady._

"She's got a tail, hooves, horns, fire-hair… I'm pretty sure she's a damn demon mate!" He shouted at me, what I thought was my new lover looked me in the eyes.

_As tears poured down her face, she asked me to kill the one who was offending her. I turned around facing Henry, knowing now that the woman, or rather that the __**demon**__ was trying to cast a spell on me. I readied my sword, and I could feel the demon's sinister smile, it thought it had succeeded in enchanting me into doing it's bidding. Oh, how it was wrong. Whether or not it sensed my magical nature, I did not know. However, it was caught off guard when my flaming sword went right through its chest. It let out a gasp, wrapping its arms around me.  
><em>

"_Well… done… you are not like the others…" The feminine voice whispered in my ear before I felt her body slip from my blade. _

_I looked over to see Henry frowning, "Damn it… Logan, this isn't going to look good." He said with worry in his voice. _

_I slowly turned around and looked down at the body. I felt a wave of panic and fear slam into me like an Ogre's fist. The corpse of a Dwarf woman was laying on the ground where the demon would be, a hole in her chest with scorch marks all around and inside it. _

"_No. That's not possible - Dwarves don't live in fear of demons or magic. They are immune to it. That's what I was always told!" I said, panic thick in my voice. _

_It wasn't long before we heard the sounds of clanking armor, accompanied by the voice of our employer, "There they are! Just like they told me they would be! Get them!" he shouted. _

_I turned around and saw the large group of charging Dwarves. Both me and Henry had the same reaction - we dropped our weapons and got to our knees. We saw no mercy from the Dwarves. It wasn't long until I saw Henry get killed, an axe decapitated him. I screamed loudly, until my throat and lungs ached, it was my time. I felt a sharp pain enter my chest, and what happened next, I do not know. Darkness devoured my vision._

* * *

><p><em>I woke up in a dark part of the Deeproads, if it was even the Deeproads I do not know to this day. All I can say was it was underground. My eyes slowly opened, they were heavy as if someone placed anvils on top of them. <em>

"_Good, you awaken." I heard that familiar feminine voice say, "You showed me I cannot possess you, yet you are strong. I've decided to take you as my champion. Against others of my kind, as well as the inhabitants of your world. Rise, and I will train you in the forbidden arts, together we will be powerful!"_

_I sighed as I slowly got to my feet. "I will not fight you, as long as you promise me the power to destroy the entirety of Orzammar." I growled, clenching my fists tightly. The betrayal of the Dwarves still fresh in my mind. _

"_Oh yes… and more… No one will stand in your way, Logan. You and I will become conquerors! Rulers of Thedas. Of the world! Of the Fade!" The Demon offered, causing me to laugh maniacally. _

"_Good. You know a way up to the surface without having to deal with those bearded empty headed creatures?" I asked her curiously. _

"_Mmhmm… we're in the tunnel right now, my dear." She responded. _

_I looked around the room now, trying to find the location of my new master. Soon I saw a small cat shift into the demon I saw once before, and defeated. I grumbled quietly to myself, how did she… or it do that?_

"_What you see before you is my… 'real' form. Otherwise, I can show any mortal what they want to see. Don't bother keeping secrets from me, or shy away from asking me questions. I know your mind, and through our connection I can read everything you think, feel. Though do not worry, as much as you are mine… I am yours…" She said in that seductive voice of her's as she approached me slowly. _

_She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I'd be lying if I said being that close to her didn't spark a hunger from deep inside of me. "Let us go to the surface to find me a suitable body. Then, my dear, we can begin everything. Find a Templar, get his armor, infiltrate that tower in the middle of the lake and find me a body you like, yet a body that is strong and capable." She said, licking my neck before vanishing from my sight. _

'_Was that real?' I thought to myself quietly, looking down at the scar upon my bare chest. 'As real as death.' She responded, the fact it seemed she was in my head worried me. However, I simply shrugged it off as I made my way to the surface._

* * *

><p>'<em>You know, you haven't said as much as a word to me for the past few days.' The Demon said in my mind, sounding rather unamused. I sighed and kept on walking, but it was no use. She kept on persisting, not leaving me alone to the glorious silence I once was able to retreat to. 'That's probably because I have nothing to speak about, <em>_**Vanessa**__.' I thought back, anger growing within me. _

_We came to the small village next to the castle of Redcliffe. It was no surprise I felt a power drawing me towards this location - many apostates head to Redcliffe when they leave the Circle Tower. It made me curious what the world would label me as if they knew my position. I was a mage who managed to evade the Chantry and their pet dogs, having been able to hide my magic at a young age. On top of that, right now I currently had a demon who constantly liked pestering me. Whether it be in my mind, or outside of it, Vanessa loved being everything but silent._

_The village was a fair size, though I have seen larger. Like Lothering, though that was surrounded by countless farms. The source of power was acting like a beacon to me, I knew exactly where in the village it was. The tavern. Who would have thought? I saw a mouse scurry by my feet. _

"_Squeak, squeak." It said in it's high-pitched voice, stopping to gaze up at me. I shook my head at it._

_With a sigh I continued walking, "You're not fooling me, Vanessa. Let's get you your precious body and get on with our lives." I grumbled. I knew it was her, because most mice do not usually want to be found by larger, more scarier beings than themselves._

_I opened the wooden door to the tavern and was instantly greeted by the sight of a woman trying to hide herself in a corner table. 'Well, she's not suspicious at all.' I thought to myself with a grin as I slowly approached her. She saw that she had caught my interest and instantly stood up, preparing to attack. She must have thought me to be an agent of the Templars, or something of that sort. The door slammed shut, and was frozen solid by a thick layer of ice. No one would be getting in or out as long as that spell was active. _

_The other patrons of the tavern were panicking at this point, trying to find a way out. They would find none. 'Release your rage, my love...' Vanessa said, 'Just do not release too much, I want to have fun with you too.' I can't even remember what day it was since we left the Deeproads that she had taken to calling me her 'love' when in truth I was far from it. I unsheathed my newly acquired sword that a bandit so willingly gave me. Flames ignited on the blade and those with weapons, one man, charged in to defend the others. The brave soul was met with a fiery sword piercing his heart. _

_I grew annoyed by the screaming and cries of the peasants. Without warning I set them all ablaze, walking over to my target as their screams of agony died off one by one. She tried to resist what I was doing to her, what Vanessa was doing to her, but I…_

* * *

><p>"But you what?" Lyna asked him as he stopped the story suddenly. She had been captivated by the tale, it interested her greatly. It was far more better than her own petty conscription tale.<p>

Shadow shook his head, "What do you think? She was possessed, that girl died because of my foolishness. I let emotions control me and I ended up slaughtering many women and children because of that dreaded wench." He growled, anger filling his voice for the first time since Lyna had met him. "I killed her eventually before I was arrested for being what I am. A monster - nothing but darkness. Before they could take me in for either my execution or slow rot in a prison, the Grey Wardens invoked the Rite of Conscription on me. Happy? You have my story. Let's move, daylight is burning."

Lyna nodded and quickly gathered her things, ready to walk in a minute's time. Her curiosity was satisfied, at least for now. She knew more about the Shadow that she followed. It made her feel accomplished, yet at the same time made her feel sad for the man. Perhaps she could talk to him more about it as they grow to know each other and help him. Only time would tell.

**Author's Note: Well pretties, after so long I finally got around to finishing and polishing up this beauty. What originally was supposed to be the Mage Origins, well... as you can see it turned out to be half of Shadow's instead. Been working hard lately, finally got around to this and am feeling rather accomplished. I think next time will be either the Mage or the City Elf Origins, so be prepared for that. However, don't hold your breath. I've no clue when it will be released, and if takes as long as this one did, you'd be long gone. I don't want that and I don't think you do either.**

**In other news, I plan on starting another Fanfiction I've had in the works for awhile now. Well, I've had two in the works for awhile now. I had a test series set in F.E.A.R., but now that I got my format and style down, I am thinking I will remake that. The new story (don't worry this one will be just as active as the other), will be either taking place in the F.E.A.R., or Lord of the Rings universes. If you're interested in either of those universes, keep watch. Who knows when they'll pop up! **

**Thank you for reading and making it this far. We've such a long journey ahead of us, and I don't know about you guys, but I'm excited to get to know our Exiles more. See ya in the next chapter!**


	5. Prologue - Mini-Chapter 1

**Prologue: Betrayal**

_Mini-Chapter 1: They are far from dead_

_Time: Two weeks before Lyna's conscription._

"Mama, where are we going?" Hilda, a small human child with her long black hair put in ponytail asked her mother sweetly.

Her mother, Gilda, was a hunter and often brought her out on her hunting trips down south in the Wilds. They lived in the village of Lothering to the north with Hilda's father, Craig. The man couldn't walk on more than one leg after a wound he sustained in the war to free Fereldan from Orlesian occupation. This made his wife, daughter, and son take charge and help out by doing what he used to be able to.

Gilda smiled, looking at Hilda with loving eyes as they both carried quite a few unfortunate animals. "We're heading home, dear. Don't worry, we'll be on the road home soon enough." She said, reassuring her daughter that all was well.

'At least, we will **if** this fog doesn't get any worse.' She thought to herself quietly as she continued walking with her daughter. Six rabbits between the two of them were their bounty for hunting. That was a rather low amount of food, and it meant they'd have to try their luck somewhere closer to home.

They walked for hours, watching as the light provided by the sun began to fade. The sounds of the Wilds also started to die down as well. Something Gilda knew wasn't right. The many animals and insects of the Wilds didn't just go silent.

"M-Mommy! I'm scared…" Hilda said as tears started to run down her young face. She felt her mother pull her close to her side.

Gilda smiled, patting her daughter's shoulder. "N'aww, it's alright dear. Shouldn't be too far now."

They both froze in their steps as they heard loud hissing in front of them. "Hilda! Stay behind me!" She called out to her daughter who did just that. She quickly drew her bow and three arrows from her remaining twenty.

Her reaction time was impressive, because just as she readied her weapon three Hurlock grunts ran towards her and her daughter. She released the arrows with her bow tilted horizontally, each of her arrows cut through the air until they hit the tainted creatures in their heads. Her quick reaction killed them and their black blood pooled around their corpses rather than the other way around.

"Their taint will make this land sick…" Gilda said in disgust, adrenaline still pumping through her. Her body seemed to sense the threat that now surrounded them, hiding in the fog.

Hilda looked terrified as she looked upon the Darkspawn corpses. "M-Mommy are th-those…?"

Gilda nodded, "Yes. Those are indeed Darkspawn, my dear. Come on. We need to move - now!" She said, grabbing her daughter's hand as they ran into the dark wilderness, hoping to find safety.

* * *

><p>They ran for fifteen minutes straight until Gilda felt something sharp hit her in the gut. The feeling sent her toppling over with a cry of agony. The little girl froze, shocked at what she just witnessed.<p>

"Mama!" She cried out loudly, running to her mother's side.

The Darkspawn surrounded her, one of the Hurlocks rushing up to kill the poor child. She saw it coming and froze, however a black sword covered in flames blocked the attack. She slowly turned her head and saw a dark figure standing there briefly before it kicked the Hurlock back.

"Duncan! We've got a wounded woman and a girl, me and Savage will hold them back!" The man with a chilling, rough voice called out and soon a bearded man with a small ponytail walked up to tend to her wounded mother.

The clashing of blades, hissing, and roars of the battle mixed in the air. Duncan looked over and saw Hilda. 'So young...' He thought quietly before wrapping a bandage around Gilda's wound.

"Come on, young lady. I'm getting you and your mother out of here." He said, picking up the mother slowly and carefully, taking the little girl's hand before running away from the danger of battle.

Hilda looked back to her two other heroes, and saw them fighting a mass of Darkspawn. One with a flaming sword, the other with a massive maul. Through the fading sunlight, she saw the man of darkness hold his hand to the tip of his blade, the fire seemed to get sucked up and formed into a ball in his hand. She saw a large explosion of fire, and following that, she saw screaming Darkspawn run in different directions.

Savage, the towering brute of a man, collapsed to the ground. His gut was bleeding heavily, though he was surrounded by several Darkspawn corpses. All of which he claimed himself. Shadow walked over and knelt down beside him, placing a hand on the man's back.

"Savage? Are you okay?" Shadow asked, his voice filled with worry. The blonde haired man looked up, crying tears of pain.

He smiled weakly and shook his head, blood pouring from the left side of his mouth. He gulped the blood that was amassing in his mouth before speaking.

"I won't lie to you, Shadow. I-I have been fighting to die lately. I was preparing to head to the Deep Roads for my last fight." The man groaned before falling over onto his back. "I'd say I have done that, and then some, eh?" He asked with a pained chuckle.

Shadow simply chuckled sadly, "Yeah, my friend. That you did."

Savage reached up and grabbed his friend by the shoulders. "Go now, Shadow. Go with Duncan. Listen to him, he is a good man. You don't have time to tend to the dead, so please, go without an argument. If I see any of those stupid blighters, I'll take 'em with me." He ordered with a cough.

Shadow thought about it, but only for a second. The man was stubborn and he wouldn't win if he protested. So, he said goodbye for the last time before rushing away from the dying Savage. The dying man coughed up blood before beginning to speak.

" 'Blessed are they who stand before the corrupt and the wicked and do not falter. Blessed are the p-peacekeepers, the champions of the just. Blessed a-are the r-righteous, the lights in the sssshadow… I-In their blood, the M-Maker's will is written.' M-Maker h-have merc-" He said before laying his head back. His vision darkened as death took him. He was now on his way to meet his Maker.

* * *

><p>Days later in Denerim, Shadow threw a head of a Hurlock at Loghain's foot, pointing at it. "Does that look like a fake Hurlock to you? By Andraste's tits man, look at it! It's vile and very much real and fresh!"<p>

The black haired, weathered and rather sickly looking man scoffed before kicking the head away from him. "Do that again, Warden, and I'll see you executed. Now, don't come here spouting tall tales about Darkspawn. We've seen no sign of them after the last Blight, they're all dead!" Loghain protested, clearly getting annoyed.

Shadow growled, tempted to just lash out and kill the pompous son of a bitch. "No, Loghain. Look at that. They're **far** from dead. That head is only a few days old, and I believe in the Wardens. If they say there is a mass of Darkspawn in the south, I want to act to save my people from dying. Warden, your calls for help have been heard. I will send scouts to the south immediately to report. From there I'll coordinate with your Warden Commander, Duncan. Dismissed." King Cailan said, stopping the fight before it even began.

Shadow bowed his head, "Thank you, my King." With that, he turned around and began to walk towards the exit of the castle, leaving the decapitated head to sit there and rot.

He had more important things on his mind. Such as checking in on Hilda and Gilda in Lothering. When the King got reports of the Darkspawn, Shadow knew he and the other Wardens would be summoned to help destroy this Blight before it even starts. He groaned loudly, as a flashing image of the nightmare appeared. 'I hope Loghain gets snapped in half by an Ogre. The bastard will get us all killed.' He thought to himself as he continued walking.

**Author Notes; Here, have a snack. (Oh, and thank you all for making it this far. I appreciate you reading the story, I really do. See you next time for the City Elf Origin story!) **


	6. Prologue - Chapter 4

**Prologue: Betrayal**

_Chapter 4: Child of Justice_

"Wake up Cousin, why are you still in bed? It's your big day!" Darrian Tabris heard his younger cousin Shianni say, pulling him from his peaceful slumber.

He groaned as he sat up, exhausted from all the work he had done the night before. Cleaning the house was one thing, but he had other errands to run. The twenty four year old elf barely had time to eat and drink dinner before he crashed hard onto his bed. As soon as he hit the soft mattress, he passed out.

He pushed a stray lock of his long and blonde hair behind his ear as he looked into his cousin's green eyes with his own blue ones. She truly was a beautiful woman with orange hair, and though it may have been wrong to say such a thing, if they were not cousins he would have taken her as his wife. Whether that was the tradition of the Alienage Elves or not. She deserved it after all she had been through all of her life. The humans of Denerim were barely tolerating the Elves and their presence in their 'great city.' In truth, Darrian thought the city he was raised in was everything but 'great.' But alas, it was home nonetheless.

"What…" He said, feeling a bit groggy, "... what are you doing in my room, again, Shianni?" He asked.

Indeed this wasn't her first time suddenly appearing in his room. Often they had cuddled, or just sat there and talked. She had a hard life, and often the Arl's son, Vaughan, had stopped by seemingly just to torture the Elvish women. He was the definition of disgusting. He was a man that violated women every single day, and he loved being even more sadistic to the Elvish women. He had never gotten his hands on Shianni, but they had a few brief encounters that always ended with Darrian scaring the little boy away, watching in anger as the pathetic human made his way back to his father.

Whilst he loved it when Shianni and himself talked, or cuddled, or did anything together, yesterday was an exception. She had broken into his room and stolen a coin purse. What she had done with it, he did not know, nor did he want to. It wasn't the loss of the currency that upset him, he would have given her much more than what was in that coin purse. It was just that she felt she had to sneak in order to get it, and that upset him. She should have known better.

"Oh please, don't tell me you've forgotten! It's your wedding, silly!" She said with a giggle, one that Darrian had come to enjoy hearing from her.

Each time he heard it, it was like a gift from above. She was a girl who did not laugh much, as she had no reason to. Hard lives often worked that way and whether Darrian liked it or not, he doubted he could ever change that. Then a thought occurred to him, did he want to be married? In all honesty he didn't think he did, or even thought he was ready for such a large step in life. Just a minute ago he had thought of how beautiful his **cousin** of all people was. How could that indicate he was ready to be wed? He hadn't even set up the arrangement, it was his father who did so. Of course, what his father said happened. It had always been that way, and it made Darrian feel like his opinion didn't matter. If it wasn't his father, it was the Hahren.

"Shianni… I rather not get married. I'd prefer it if you and I could just go do something together today." Darrian said with a sigh, slowly beginning to wake up.

She nodded, "I… would like that too, but Cyrion would be upset if we skipped the wedding. **Especially** if you did." She sighed, wanting nothing more than to spend the day with him.

That was the nature of their relationship. Yes, cousins, but also very close friends. An outsider looking in on their relationship could say that it was unnatural or disgusting, in the sense of their thoughts on one another as if they were more than just cousins. One could also decide that their relationship is healthy and good, as family should be close friends. Which ever one decided to choose, there was one thing that was for certain; Darrian would never let any harm come to her, or any residents of the Alienage for that matter. He and Shianni had been through a lot together, he would see to it that she was safe, even if he was killed as a cost for her safety.

He got up onto his feet and stretched briefly before placing his hands on her shoulders, "I'm willing to risk it. I've no desire to be married, not to mention she's a stranger to me. Unlike you and I who have known each other for as long as I can remember." He grumbled softly.

"We… can't." She sighed, placing a hand on his cheek. "You need to get ready… your bride is probably already here."

Darrian growled, briefly placing his forehead against hers before backing up. "Alright. I'll be out in a few minutes. But Shianni, I don't want this to make it so we can't do what we have been… we've always been there for each other."

She nodded, "Don't worry, it won't. I'll see you outside." She said quickly, too quickly for Darrian's liking, before she left him alone to get dressed.

He sighed and got up, putting on the rather expensive clothes his father had bought him for this event. They weren't expensive in the way most humans would think, but to Elves that lived in the Alienage, it was nearly an entire lifetime's worth of gold. It was made out of cloth, and it looked like something a human might wear to a casual, yet slightly formal dinner. Though that was one thing that had always gotten on the young man's nerves.

Humans had always lived in luxury while his kind suffered. Humans got all the good things, well paying jobs, respect, proper aid, deals for living arrangements, all of it. What did the Elves get? Quite the opposite, really. He had heard the Dalish would shoot someone like him on sight, a city elf, because he chose to turn his back on their Gods and nomadic ways. Despite not getting a choice in the matter, he did not live such a luxurious life that they no doubt thought of Elves that lived in the city had.

His mother had taught him how to fight when he was younger, and it was a good thing she had done so. Countless times had that human, the Arl's son, Vaughan, came down to pay them a visit. He and his friends always tried to pick a fight, or to abduct some of the Elvish women, which they had succeeded a couple of times in the past. However, whenever Darrian showed his face they ran away like the little rats they were.

With a sigh, not wanting to begin this day, he walked out of his room and towards the exit of the house, putting his hair in a braid running horizontally around the middle-back of his head, ending in a loose knot. He ran into his father, who was waiting for him. Cyrion looked very much like his son. Strong, wise, and bold. Though he was a bit more weathered and grey in the hair than the young elf.

"Morning, Father." Darrian said with a small smile despite not liking what was soon to happen. A fate that his father had brought unto him without his consent or with prior warning.

The greying man smiled and nodded at his son, "Good morning, my boy. Did you sleep well? You have a big day today, perhaps the biggest day of your life." He said in his calm, worn voice.

Darrian stretched and scratched the back of his neck before shrugging. How did he sleep? Well, aside from the rude awakening into the harsh reality of his situation, pretty damn good.

"Great. I'm a bit nervous about today, though. How did you sleep?" Darrian asked with a calm tone of voice, hoping to have hidden his frustration with his father.

"That's good, and perfectly normal, my son. It's a big step in your life, getting married. And I slept well, thank you. Well, I shouldn't keep you any longer. Your bride arrived earlier this morning, and not only that but Shianni says Soris ran away from her when she tried to talk to him about today. You should go find him." Cyrion said with a chuckle before his face got serious again. "Oh, and take these. Your mother wanted you to have them when you were of age. Also, try and keep your training to a down-low. We wouldn't want to scare your bride away." He said as he handed Darrian a pair of leather boots, adorned with patterns of vines.

"Thank you, father. And why not? She'll find out sooner or later." The young elf said as he put the boots on. They fit him surprisingly well, and at last he had something to carry with him that could remind him of his mother.

She hadn't left him much, and her death at the hands of men was sudden to say the least. She had been gone for so long that if it weren't for a painting of her above the fireplace, he would have forgotten what she had looked like. A beautiful tan elf with blonde hair much like his own, and brown eyes.

"Later. Definitely later. Now get going, my son. You have done enough procrastinating. Your mother would be so proud of the young man you have grown up to be." He said with a sad, yet happy smile.

Darrian nodded and did as he was told, walking out of the house. The fresh, cool morning air slammed into him like an angry bull. He could have sworn if he hadn't had proper footing he would have fell over. He straightened up and took a long, deep breath of the morning air. He was much more of a morning elf than his mother who seemed to like the night. He couldn't help but wonder how much of that was because of her trouble-making ways.

He listened to every little sound, elves conversing with each other about the big ceremony that was to happen today, the birds chirping, shouting, dogs barking, everything. This was the sound he had grown used to, and it always meant one thing: a peaceful morning. Whenever it had gotten quiet, that was when you knew something wasn't quite right. As when silence took over, so too did chaos. Usually. Humans didn't make their phrases tell lies, he was certain of that. 'The calm before the storm' was nearly always correct in Denerim.

He walked through the Alienage, passing the tree that was right in the center of it. He tried avoiding everyone the best he could as he didn't want to get distracted. Mainly because he knew if he did get distracted, well, for starters he wouldn't find Soris. Another reason being he would make sure he stayed distracted until at least the next day.

After a few more minutes, he stumbled across Soris who was rather close to the Alienage's exit. Darrian smiled, walking up to his cousin and crossing his arms, "Are you trying to sneak away and escape your inevitable doom too, cousin?" He asked.

Soris laughed and shook his head, "Yeah, don't we both wish it were that easy. You and I both know that we would get hunted down and brought back here to face more than just Cyrion and Shianni's wrath. We'd have our brides to deal with as well."

"Right. Soris, if I wanted any more nightmares about this I would have told you." Darrian said with a nervous chuckle.

The reddish-brown haired elf laughed, "Oh but that'd be too easy. Well, I was told our brides are here. We may as well meet them for the first time and spend a few hours with them. C'mon." Soris said with a sigh before taking the lead, Darrian reluctantly following behind him.

* * *

><p>And so they had spent the next few hours with their brides to be. It was nerve-racking at first, but as time went on it became more and more relaxed. They finished eating and walked, eventually stopping rather close to the large tree in the center of the Alienage.<p>

"Well, we'd better let them finish getting ready, Cousin." Soris said with a chuckle before doing a final conversation with his bride.

Darrian chuckled lightly before nodding at his soon-to-be, Nesiara. "Well, I had fun today." She said in her quiet, calm, and soft voice.

He smiled, "Yeah, I did too. And the fun is only just beginning." His words were delivered softly, but void of any clear emotion.

It was true, everything about this girl was beautiful. Her appearance, her personality, her voice… but it lacked something. He shook his head subtly and the thoughts with it. _No, Darrian. You are not going there more than four times in one day. It's not normal. It's sick._ He thought quietly to himself before getting pulled around from his thoughts by Soris.

"Alright, come on. Let her get read-" He said with a chuckle before he went dead serious. "Cousin…" He whispered. "Vaughan and his lot are here."

He heard the human and his crew walk up from behind him, their women in his sights. "Well it's a party, right? Grab a whore and let's have a good time." The man said, clearly thinking he was high and mighty.

"Enjoy the hunt boys, I fancy that pretty little elvish lass over there." Vaughan said with a chuckle, pointing directly at Shianni.

"Touch me and I'll gut you, you pig!" Shianni warned the man.

"Oh hoh, I see she has a fire to her… you'll be a fun one to tame." Vaughan said, the tone of his voice mixed with his promise made all of the elves sick.

Darrian had enough of the perverse man and turned around, both he and Soris approached the so called 'nobility' of Ferelden. This caught Vaughan's attention, and he laughed as he too approached the two elves. He had the look of most 'lords' of the land. Fine clothes, no doubt so expensive they probably could buy the Alienage. His presence was most sickening to Darrian, and he knew exactly why. The man was a rapist, the son of an Arl, but still a rapist. That wasn't even the worse part of it all. He was a sadistic man, inside or out of his perverted deeds. Being perverse and sadistic never mixed well.

"Ah! The two grooms have come to greet me personally." He said with a clap of his hands whilst Darrian saw Shianni retreat to grab something.

Darrian growled, "You think you are welcomed here? Get out of here."

The man laughed, about to say something, but before he could get a word out Shianni smashed his head with the bottle she had recovered from a nearby table. The pathetic man dropped like a sack of bricks, making Darrian laugh. It never ceased to amaze him how these so called strong, noble, and royal men were weaker than a child. A newborn baby, even.

"Do you have any idea what you just did? You assaulted the Arl's son! We'll be back, bitch." One of Vaughan's friends said before picking the unconscious man up.

With regret in her voice, Shianni put her hands up to her lips as if trying to shush herself. "O-Oh dear… What did I just do?"

As the man tried to walk away, he was immediately caught by Darrian who looked furious. "Would you call your mother a bitch? Do not answer that, human, for I know you would. If you come in here again and assault - let alone **insult** one of our women, you will not be pleased with the outcome." He warned with his voice thick with hatred.

Darrian then let the human go, he had given his warning and hoped that the man had received it. If he hadn't, there could possibly be bloodshed. He never liked humans and their 'high and mighty' ways, but he always gave an opponent with a conscience one warning before getting violent. Despite the fact he had given the humans of Denerim multiple warnings due to not wanting any troubles to befall the Alienage. Though his patience, anger, and justice-seeking nature could only survive so much, for so long.

Deep down, both he and Soris knew they would be back. Whether that same day or the next, a son of wealth and power would always seek blood. Even for the most petty of offense. Alas, he would do what he must. Justice would be served. It would be swift, and brutal, and without a care should it invoke the humans' wrath. Their own twisted view of 'justice.'

The young elf walked over to speak to Shianni before he was busy for the rest of the day. Doing married things. Maker, he was really getting married, wasn't he?

* * *

><p>Hours of uneventful conversation was what followed the incident with Vaughan. The only thing of note was some Grey Warden named Duncan arriving, however since he was a friend of the Hahren, Darrian and Soris let him be. If this is what weddings were like, Darrian didn't see the sense in it. He was no doubt alone in the world when it came to thoughts like these. In fact, he began doubting the emotion that was 'love' altogether. What did it ever do for anyone? Love was something he knew he had for people, but on closer inspection he had to wonder what and why it was he <em>loved<em> them. He watched over them. He protected them. He cared for them. However, he was not a foolish when it came to the fact he knew they were a weakness for him.

So there they were, gathered on the small wooden platform where they were to be married. A Mother of the Chantry, a beautiful one at that, was there and the Hahren began speaking the words prior to the ceremony. Just as the Mother had begun to wed them, Darrian and Soris immediately spotted Vaughan, along with his friends and nine of Denerim's guards walk around the corner. Darrian growled as he clenched his fists, his anger building, but before he knew it the bastard had one of the guards punch him in the face. Something he normally would have been able to take, but between the unexpected force of the punch and the metal gauntlet the guard wore, he was knocked out cold. The last thing he remembered was a bright light before darkness.

* * *

><p>He awoke in the same place he was when he received the bloody nose. Several elves were gathered around him, hoping and praying that he was okay. He growled, rising to his feet. He watched as everyone backed away from him. They knew what he was like when he was enraged.<p>

"Where are the women?" He asked in a growl, Soris replied shortly after with a nervous tone of voice.

"Uh, Vaughan has taken them up to his family's estate, to… uhm… yeah." The middle cousin out of three said, scratching the back of his neck.

Darrian nodded before marching to the Hahren who was discussing something with the Grey Warden. Soris reluctantly followed him. From what he knew, the Wardens were a noble bunch. Where they were, justice and all that is light followed. At least if they involved themselves into the affairs of the area they were in.

"Ah, I see you have awoken and are okay. I am pleased to see this good news, my boy." The Hahren said with a small smile.

Duncan nodded, "Indeed. I am sorry for what has happened here today."

The Warden Commander had caught Darrian's gaze. "Truly?" He asked, "If so, then you will give me weapons to get our women back."

Duncan chuckled, "Even if I were to do that, I do not see the guards letting an armed elf into the Arl's estate. Such a thing would obviously not mean well."

An elvish servant approached and in a small, submissive voice he spoke. "I… I could get you and maybe one other into the estate. There's a back way into it, the servant's entrance. I'm sure they would think nothing of two other servants going to work."

Darrian nodded, he liked the idea. It helped them maintain the element of surprise. Duncan stroked his beard, as if consulting it for it's opinion before nodding.

"Yes, indeed that would be a good plan. Here, you will need these." The Warden said with a smile, giving the two elves weapons. Darrian got a longsword, whilst Soris was given the bow. "A man should be able to properly defend his loved ones. Good luck." Duncan said before Soris and Darrian followed the servant. They had no time to waste.

They stopped at the exit to the Alienage, and Soris looked to Darrian. "Are you sure this is a good idea? We could get **killed**." He asked with a soft tone of voice.

Darrian nodded with his stance looking strong like a warrior's, "A true man does not stand by whilst his women are raped and beaten. Not to mention our **Shianni** is in there, Soris. Come with me, or give me your bow and stay."

The brown haired elf sighed, "Alright. I don't like it, but I will watch your back in there."

Darrian smiled, "Good man. No one likes to possibly go into their deaths, but sometimes it is necessary. Alright, friend. Lead the way. Soris, you watch our backs." He said like a leader of men.

Duncan watched on with the Hahren. _And so my potential recruits march on…_ He thought quietly to himself, crossing his arms as the three elves departed from the Alienage on a most righteous quest.

* * *

><p>The three elves reached the Arl's estate after a fairly long walk with Darrian and Soris arguing about what they were about to do. Darrian wanted to end the lives of the humans that harmed their women. Soris, on the other hand, wanted to just secure the women and get out with as little bloodshed as possible. As always, though, the eldest of the two would get their wish. The walls of the Arl's estate would be painted red with human blood, and anything else foolish enough to get in Darrian's way.<p>

As they entered through the small gate, they were immediately charged by a mabari war hound. Unfortunately, it was no match for Darrian's quick reaction time and knowledge of how to kill. His blade stabbed through the dog's head, killing it nearly in an instant, before he ripped it out and looked around. Thankfully no one had heard the growling.

"We're lucky that dog didn't alert others. Or else we'd be in a world of pain." Soris said with a disappointed tone.

Darrian shook his head, "Shut up, Soris. We're here to get the women, kill those humans, and get out. We've no time to do your little game of "or elses." Understood?" The long haired elf said before marching down the left path of the estate.

Before he turned to the right with the walkway, a guard marched around the corner accompanied by a mabari. "Oi! You lot, what are you doing here? The estate is off-" The man said loudly before spotting the weapons Darrian and Soris were carrying.

He blocked Darrian's leaping attack with his sword, sending the elf stumbling back. Soris, however, shot the mabari that was accompanying him with the bow Duncan had provided him with. Luckily the shot was in the head, effectively killing the dog bred for war. Soris looked around, there wasn't much he could do to help his cousin out in fighting the guard. That alone made him sad as he saw Darrian losing the fight against the skilled guard.

However, Darrian didn't need his help. It was all a part of his battle strategy. The man had a good defense, but if there was one thing he knew about humans, it was that they got careless if they seemed to be getting the upper hand. As Darrian continued stepping back, seemingly getting beaten by the man's powerful blows, the guard decided to daze him with a bash of his shield. Just as he was about to run Darrian through with his blade, the blonde elf took the opportunity and chopped his head off. The fool had lowered his shield just low enough for such an attack to work.

With his arms and chest covered in the blood that spurted from the dead guard's neck, he stepped over the corpse and looked down the rest of the path. Seeing it was clear, he motioned for Soris and the elf servant to continue on with him. If that was the best the humans could throw at them, this would be easy. Darrian knew better. Anything he could bring to the table, the humans could bring that and plenty more. _Never underestimate your opponent, but never overestimate them either_. He thought quietly to himself. He did neither of these things, he knew the fact that they could kill him and his cousin easily. They had manpower and discipline on their side. They had leaders, strategy on their side. Darrian, well he just improvised if a battle was not going his way.

They made their way through a small pumpkin patch, only encountering two more mabari and one more guard. They dispatched them quickly, Darrian managing to get more human blood on himself. At least they were doing something useful for once, fertilizing the ground with their blood. Whether that'd nurture nature however was debatable. Their blood was filled with corruption.

They made it to the side entrance, that led to a small room and then the kitchen. "This is as far as I can take you. I wish you luck. Make them pay and get our women back." The elvish servant said before quickly taking off back down the same path they had came from.

"Well, cousin, you ready for this?" Soris asked Darrian.

The eldest simply grinned wickedly, taking a dagger he had recovered from one of the guards he had slaughtered, tossing it in the air playfully. He caught it by the blade and winked at Soris, "When am I not ready?" He asked before kicking open the door.

This alerted the guard that was asleep on his post, unfortunately for him, Darrian tossed the dagger and it planted itself deep within the man's forehead. "That was… ruthless, cousin." Soris commented as the clang of the armored man's corpse falling to the floor was heard.

"So was taking our wives and Shianni." Darrian growled before marching to the next door, giving it the same treatment and kicking it open.

An elf and human chef spun around, the human man marching right up to Darrian. "Who do you think you are, barging in here like that, elf?!" The elderly man demanded to know.

Darrian growled coldly, "Do not think you are better than me, human scum." He said before running the innocent man through with his sword. He had no time for humans.

He twisted the blade, hearing the quiet squeal of agony the chef let out. It was like music to Darrian's ears. He ripped the blade out of the man's gut, letting him fall to the ground to die in his own pool of blood.

"Cousin! Did you have to do that?!" Soris exclaimed, shocked and disgusted by Darrian's actions.

"Yes. He was a human, and he got in my way. I will no longer bow to humans. Now, go home or let's get moving." Darrian growled before he watched the elf servant slowly walk out.

"You've no idea how long that shem has had that coming. Good luck in there, Vaughan has taken your women to his back room." The servant said before getting out of the estate.

Darrian sighed, so it was true. They had little time to waste, then. He opened the next door calmly, seeing that it led to a dining hall where five off-duty guards were eating their dinner. With a rage that rivaled the Dwarvish berserkers, Darrian closed in on them with a fire and lust for human blood in his eyes. Soris simply watched his cousin slaughter the surprised men one by one. The sight made him sad, as he knew his cousin was falling into darkness.

Once Darrian was finished with them, they made their way through the halls of the Arl's estate. They really only encountered small patrols, ranging from one man to four. They entered the room just before Vaughan's, which was filled with five men crowding around a dead corpse. One of them killed an elvish girl, she looked familiar but Darrian couldn't place her.

"Great, we should have kept that wench alive. Now look at her? A waste of a good fuck." One of the guards said with a sigh.

"How picky are you? Her body is still warm enough, get it before it's cold!" Another said.

"Nola!" Soris said loudly, catching the attention of all of the guards.

"Ah lookie here, boys! More elves to slaughter!" Their leader said before they all drew their weapons and rushed towards the two young elves.

Darrian and Soris were dripping in blood of their vanquished foes. These lot did not stand a chance. Soris had gotten used to loading and firing his bow. So used to it, that he could just fire in rapid succession whilst Darrian took on the leader. This was good organization as the four were nothing compared to their leader, who Darrian knew had seen countless of battles.

Darrian slid his blade around the human's, successfully cutting off the hands of the man. This caused him to scream in agony as he backed up against the door that led into Vaughan's quarters.

"P-Please don't kill me!" The man begged.

Darrian shook his head, "I bet she said the same thing. I will now give you the same treatment you gave her. Death." He growled before driving his sword through the man's throat, kicking him off of his blade immediately after.

Doing that send the door flying open and the man falling inside, gurgling on his own warm blood. Darrian and Soris stepped in, and immediately they saw Vaughan and his friends around Shianni who looked sick, wounded, and defiled. She was on the ground, holding her gut.

"Well, look who decided to show up." Vaughan said, turning from Shianni and approaching Darrian.

"We'll get 'em Vaughan." One of his friends said before the Arl's son shushed the pampered noble.

"Quiet, fool. They're covered in enough blood to fill a tub. Look, friend, you know what killing me will do. It will bring unimaginable suffering upon your people. However, we can be civilized and come to an agreement, I hope. Me and my friends just want fun, how about I pay you forty gold for your troubles and send you on your way?" He asked, causing Darrian to growl.

"No." Darrian said before he suddenly swung his sword, cutting Vaughan's head free from his shoulders.

"Vaughan!" One of the other humans said, rushing at Darrian with his blade.

They were all pathetic. Merely political creatures. Their mastery of weapons was less than pathetic, ultimately earning them their swift deaths given by Soris and Darrian. After all they had been through, they learned that these would-be men were nothing more than children. Cut down like wheat to a scythe.

"Soris, you go look for the others. I'll attend to Shianni." Darrian ordered, and his cousin did as he was told.

The eldest of all of the elves in the estate walked up to his cousin who was whimpering. He crouched behind her, slowly taking her in his arms. Something many would not want as he was covered in blood, but she didn't seem to care. She turned so she could bury her face in his chest as she wept.

"T-They…" She whimpered, muffled by his clothed chest.

"Shh, it's alright… I'm here now. Every single one of those humans who harmed you are dead." Darrian said, trying to comfort her.

"Good… good…" She said sadly, though he could hear the relief in her voice.

He did not need to ask her what they had done to her, the evidence was all around him. He growled lowly, keeping her in his arms, watching as Soris and the two brides approached him and Shianni. He felt his youngest cousin pull on his shirt's sleeve and looked down to meet her gaze.

"Home… T-Take me home… I want to go home…" She wept before burying her face in his chest again.

Darrian nodded slowly and picked her up as he got to his feet. "Thank you for saving us." Nesiara said softly.

In the short time they had gotten to know each other before the wedding, Darrian found he actually liked his wife-to-be. She was a quiet, calm, sweet and intelligent elf. Darrian smiled lightly as he nodded.

"You should thank Soris, he was the hero behind the plan. Told fearful old me to keep going, that we couldn't let our women be abused by men without having the men punished." Darrian said, winking at Soris before taking the lead.

"Err… right. Well I'll watch our backs." Soris said, having the girls walk in between Darrian and himself. He wondered why his cousin made himself sound like a coward, when really it was the other way around.

* * *

><p>The walk back to the Alienage was a quiet one, and eventually Shianni got up onto her own two feet so she could walk to Darrian and Cyrion's house. The two cousins were stopped by Duncan and the Hahren. Both had a serious look on their faces. Both Soris and Darrian handed Duncan his weapons, Darrian more reluctantly than Soris.<p>

"How fared your quest?" Duncan asked, amused by their success as he reclaimed his weapons.

Darrian nodded and sighed, "The Arl's son is dead, along with multiple guards. Unfortunately… Nola did not survive. The savages cut her down and when we arrived were about to… I'll spare you the details." The young elvish man said, his voice displaying his disgust.

"I… see. I will inform Tormey of the death of his daughter. However, killing the Arl's son is a very-" The Hahren began to say before the guard Captain and nine other guards marched into the Alienage.

"Alright, I will not coat this with sugar. Which one of you filth killed the Arl's son and countless men of the Denerim guard?" The man with a red goatee demanded to know, staring directly at the elf whom he recognized. "Was it the Alienage's local troublemaker, Hahren?" He asked.

"As a matter of fact, shemlen, it was me. I alone killed that swine, and every single filthy… **fat**, want-to-be soldier that defended him." Darrian growled, and as he approached the guard Captain all the guards but the Captain himself drew their swords.

The man laughed, "You expect me to believe a lone elf killed all of those men, **and** the Arl's son?" He asked.

"Not all of us are so defenseless as we seem." The Hahren replied.

"Regardless, that was too quick for any one person to achieve." The Captain said with a sigh and roll of his eyes.

"Emma shem'nan. Ma emma harel." Darrian growled.

"Speak Common you foolish little boy." The man sighed in response before shaking his head. "Never mind, it matters not. You say you did it, then you will hang."

Duncan then stepped up and put his hand on Darrian's shoulder. "If I may, Captain, it is my right as the Warden Commander of Ferelden to conscript those I see fit to become Grey Wardens. More of us are needed if we are to stop the Darkspawn horde rising in the south."

The Captain groaned before nodding. "Very well, Warden. Just make sure he leaves my city by nightfall."

"It will be done." Duncan said, bowing his head as the guards sheathed their weapons and walked out of the Alienage.

Darrian turned to face Duncan, whom nodded at him calmly. "You'd best go say your goodbyes. We leave for Highever immediately." He told the young elf.

"As you say." Darrian said before walking away from them, getting stopped by Soris who remained at his side.

"Don't think I didn't notice what you did. You are a hero, cousin, and I thank you. Please, whenever you can, come visit Valora and I." He said with a small smile, though in truth he was sad his eldest cousin was leaving. Darrian was a mentor to Soris.

Darrian grinned, "Of course, cousin. I'll keep in touch. Watch for the raven that will arrive at my doorstep on the first and last days of each month." He said before walking to the small building that had been his home all of his life.

Everyone seemed quiet, the entire Alienage felt as if it had vanished. Though this wasn't the case as he could see several elves moving about. Occasionally, one would stop and either call him a fool, or a hero, which he knew he was neither. He slowly approached his house, where he saw his father standing and waiting for him.

The aging man sighed, "If this is what the Maker has planned for you, my dear boy, then so be it. Know that your mother and I will always be there for you. And know that you have made both of us proud." He said softly, walking up to his son and hugging him.

"I don't want to go, father…" Darrian said, hugging him back. For an elf like Darrian, tears were rare. Yet he felt them pressing against his eyes, threatening to spill over and down his face.

"Of that I have no doubt, but there is nothing anyone can do about that. You may return one day, or you may not. I do not know. Though there is one thing I know, the Grey Wardens are heroes, my son. They protect us all, and they have conscripted you into their ranks. You should feel as honored as I do, if not more. I am able to call my son a Grey Warden. _A hero_. You know, they tried to recruit your mother once, but she declined their offer. She wanted to raise you with me." He said, his voice growing shaky. "Now, go say farewell to Nesiara and Shianni. They await you inside. Go, before it gets any harder on either of us." He said.

As Darrian pulled away and went to open the door, Cyrion stopped him again. "Oh, and my son. Take this, it's an amulet of your mother's." He said, handing Darrian a necklace held together by a silver chain. A bright green emerald was encased in the center of a decorated silver pendant.

"Thank you, father." Darrian said, swallowing hard before entering the house where he found Valora standing there. Waiting for him, or so he assumed

"Hello Darrian! Nesiara, your betrothed is here!" She called back to where his room was.

"I'll be just a minute!" The soft voice of Nesiara called back.

Valora turned back to Darrian and smiled, "You should visit us whenever you can. Nesiara and I are thinking about opening up our own shop. If you ever find yourself in Denerim, come and visit us! And thank you… for me, for Soris, for **everything**. I'll never be able to repay you." She said happily as Nesiara approached. "Well, I'll leave you two alone." She finished with a smile before walking out of the house.

"Thank you, Valora." Nesiara said, turning to Darrian. "Well, what happens now? Your father says you are to become a Grey Warden… you're leaving, aren't you?" She asked sadly, the look on her face was worse than a sword to Darrian's heart.

He nodded, "Nesiara… I'm sorry. But I'll come back for you, I promise." He said softly, approaching her and taking her hands in his own.

"No, you won't." She groaned, pulling her hands away from his own with a sigh. "Grey Wardens can't have wives or families. I guess we'll never know what might have been. Your… friend is waiting for you." She sighed before walking to meet up with Valora. "Be safe out there."

He turned the corner and entered his room where Shianni was standing in a fresh change of clothes. She was smiling as he approached. He was her hero, no, her living spirit of justice. Her guardian. Her Darrian.

"You took all of the responsibility for what happened. You're amazing, you know that?" She asked with an adoring smile on her face.

"How are you holding up?" He asked her softly.

She smiled, "I'm okay, thanks to you. I've just been putting on a tough face so people don't coddle me like I'm a child. As far as they know, I just got knocked around a bit." Shianni informed him before sighing sadly. "I'll miss you cousin… you know that, right? It'll be lonely around here without you."

"I'll miss you too, Shianni. As I told Soris, I will send word every first and last day of each month if I can. If I find myself in Denerim, you know I'll stop by and say hello." He said softly before pulling her into an embrace.

"I love you… please be safe out there. Okay?" She said softly into his neck.

He groaned before nodding, "I love you too. As for being safe, well…" He said, pulling away from her and giving her a grin accompanied by a wink. "You know me. Stay safe as well Shianni."

With that said, he hugged her one last time before pulling away and walking outside. He sighed heavily, looking around at the Alienage that was his home before walking towards the exit where Duncan was waiting for him. He had saved Shianni and the women, though criticized himself for not being fast enough to save Nola. He killed that bastard son of the Arl so he could no longer harm the women of the city, and in return got sentenced to death. However, this was stopped by Duncan, The Warden Commander, by invoking the Rite of Conscription upon Darrian, taking him under his wing as a Grey Warden.

Now they were to set off to Highever, where they would observe Ser Gilmore, though Duncan told him that he was really there to observe not just him, but the two children of Teyrn Cousland. Aedan and Elissa. Whilst he did not like leaving all he had known behind, Darrian knew it was to serve justice to all of the unjust. The Grey Wardens kept the tainted Darkspawn at bay, and where they walked, the Corruption that was present always seemed to be vanquished. He just hoped Soris, Nesiara, Valora, and most definitely Shianni would be safe without him. Along with everyone else in the Alienage. However, there was little he could do. His destiny lied with Duncan and the Grey Wardens. A destiny of war and blood, and most important to him. _Justice_.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey pretties, sorry this chapter took longer than the others. I have been busy as of late. Do not worry, I will try and post more frequently, but if I can't, I shall inform you of my plans. I hope you all like Darrian, as he is probably one of my most... not young, but mold-able characters I have made so far. Next chapter shall be the Mages, Daylen and Neria. <strong>

**In other news, I hope you guys had a great month! See you in the next chapter! -Saren**


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